feudatory
/ˈfjuːdəˌtɔri/
adjective
- Relating to or owing feudal allegiance or service.
- The feudatory lords paid tribute to the emperor each year.
- The treaty established a feudatory relationship between the two nations.
- Feudatory obligations included military service and providing food for the ruler's court.
- Subordinate or dependent on a more powerful entity.
- Many small states remained feudatory to the empire for centuries.
- The company had a feudatory status within the larger conglomerate.
- The feudatory arrangement gave the local leader limited autonomy.
noun
- A person or country that owes loyalty and service to a more powerful lord or ruler, especially in a feudal system.
- In medieval Europe, a feudatory often managed land on behalf of a higher noble.
- The small kingdom became a feudatory of the empire after losing the war.
- The duke was a feudatory of the king and had to provide soldiers for his army.
- A person or organization that is subordinate or dependent on a more powerful one.
- The political party treated the smaller coalition partner as a feudatory.
- In the modern business world, a small supplier can become a feudatory of a giant retailer.
- The local branch operated as a feudatory of the national corporation.
Synonyms